Burn out means to become so exhausted from work or study that you have no energy or desire to carry on. The state is described with be/feel burnt out, and the condition itself is the noun burnout, written as one word. The second meaning is literal: a fire, candle or light bulb burns until it goes out.
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burn out (from work/stress); be/feel burnt out; burnout (noun, one word); a candle/bulb burns out
- After two years of night shifts, she burnt out and took three months off.
- Take proper breaks during exam season, or you'll burn out before June.
- The candle had burnt out, so we sat in the dark and talked.
What changed
First versionI think I have burn out after this year.
RevisionI think I have burnout after this year.
After have you need a noun, and the noun is written as one word: burnout. Burn out as two words is the verb. Stress tells them apart too: in the noun it falls on burn, in the verb on out.
Worn out means very tired, but usually only for a while: I'm worn out after the hike. Burnt out goes deeper: exhaustion after long stress, when work has felt joyless for weeks. British English tends to say burnt out, American English burned out.
Your turn
Many nurses leave the job because of stress and ___.
Show the answer
burnout — After because of stress and you need a noun, like stress, so it's burnout as one word. Burn out is a verb and can't stand in a list with a noun.
Describe how you try to avoid burning out at work or in your studies. Name one habit and say how often you do it.
To avoid burning out at work, I switch off my phone every evening after eight.
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